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Performers from Iran, India enrich cultural awareness

Sitting in the stately rotunda of the Telfair Academy last Sunday listening to the Persian music of the trio led by Ali Akbar Moradi, I glanced up at the huge portrait of Mary Telfair.

What would she have thought of the Iranian musicians, sitting cross-legged on a small platform, traditionally dressed, playing instruments most of us have never seen?

I think she would have been quite satisfied, just as her expression in the portrait suggests.

Moradi plays the tanbur, a long-necked lute - a sort of great-grandfather of the guitar. It's a sacred instrument in the Kurdish Sufi tradition.

The sound is tinny and precise, while at the same time richly evocative. With his son delicately playing percussion beside him and another musician with a bowed instrument like the tanbur joining him for the second half of the program, Moradi gave most of the audience a literally once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

During the last few years, I've learned to trust the choices of Savannah Music Festival executive director Rob Gibson and his staff. For me, the consistently most exhilarating shows are the ones that push the boundaries of my own cultural awareness.

So last Friday it was an easy choice to check out the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from India.

With moves both flowing and angular, the five female dancers seemed to address the gods as they would lovers. The live accompaniment was dominated by a traditional drum and a meandering wooden flute, which conveyed the passion and nuance of each of the six dances that comprised the program.

Ali Akbar Moradi and Nrityagram were here as part of the Big World of Music Series, sponsored by Scott Center's National Office Systems. The next show in the series is one of this year's signature events, The World of Slide Guitar on April 3.

But there's other international music in the offing, and more shows at the Telfair rotunda, and more once-in-a-lifetime chances.

If you have an arts or entertainment item that Bill Dawers might be interested in, e-mail him at billdawers@comcast.net.